Celebrity To Host ‘american Idol’ Finalists At Sea

Join the Nation’s Conversation To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Celebrity to host ‘American Idol’ finalists at sea Fran Golden, Special for USA TODAY 12:34 p.m. EDT October 3, 2013 “American Idol” runner-up Blake Lewis will appear on a Celebrity cruise. (Photo: Handout) SHARE 8 CONNECT 43 TWEET COMMENTEMAILMORE Celebrity Cruises is launching a series of concerts, Q&A sessions and autograph signings by finalists from past seasons of the popular Fox TV show American Idol. On the line’s Christmas cruises in the Caribbean, two American Idol singing artists will perform on each sailing. The lineup includes runner-up finalists Bo Bice (fourth season) and Blake Lewis (sixth season), as well as Elliot Yamin, who placed third in the show’s fifth season and whose self-titled album debuted at number one on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and number three on the Billboard 200. Also appearing onboard will be Kimberly Caldwell (second season), Melinda Doolittle (sixth season), Matt Giraud (eighth season) and Mikalah Gordon (fourth season). The Caribbean holiday sailings include week-long cruises on the Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Silhouette; a five-day cruise on the Celebrity Constellation; a 10-day cruise on Celebrity Equinox; and a 14-day sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse. The Reflection sails from Miami, the Summit from San Juan and the other ships from Fort Lauderdale. The cruise line scheduled the artists as part of its partnership with Las Vegas-based Nite Raiders entertainment, Celebrity officials said. Fran Golden is the Experience Cruise expert blogger and a contributing editor of Porthole Magazine. She is the co-author of Frommer’s Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call.

By Jeanette Settembre / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, September 30, 2013, 3:33 PM Comment Mark Von Holden Chef Dale Talde’s Kung Pao Chicken made with McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, sweet and sour sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanuts and iceberg lettuce. Related Stories Who gives a hoot about pretty girls as waitresses?Its no reason to block Hooters from Brooklyn Leave it to celebrity chefs to make McDonalds fast food fancy. To counter negative attitudes toward its food, McDonalds held a chef event dinner at Three Sixty restaurant in Tribeca on Thursday night featuring dishes made by nationally recognized chefs using basic McDonalds ingredients elevating the drive-thru experience to fine dining. Mark Von Holden Photography Chef James Tahhan, cooking show star on Telemundo, prepares his Tortilla Esponola with an apple and cucumber chipotle salad made with McDonalds chipotle barbecue and honey mustard sauces I just want people to think differently about our ingredients, McDonalds Executive Chef Dan Coudreaut told the Daily News. People see ingredients like a perfectly round egg on an Egg McMuffin and they think its not a real egg, but theyre fresh cracked eggs every day. I cant change what people believe. Just get to know us a little bit better. RELATED: MCDONALD’S TO OFFER FRUIT, SALAD AS SIDES Mark Von Holden Photography Chefs Aaron McCargo Jr., Jessica Foust, Dale Talde and James Tahhan pose with their fancy fast food at the McDonalds celebrity chef-dinner at Three Sixty restaurant in Tribeca on Thursday. Attendees, a mix of media and franchisees sipped mojitos made from McDonalds Mango Pineapple Smoothie base by the chains dietitian, Jessica Foust, and used forks and knives to cut into chicken nuggets and fries. The multicourse menu featured ingredients like McDonalds crispy chicken, sweet and sour sauce, chipotle barbecue sauce, hash browns, cheddar jack cheese and espresso. Mark Von Holden Photography McDonalds corporate chef and dietitian Jessica Foust served up a slow-cooked beef with blueberry pomegranate sauce and french fry gnocchi. Among the entrees was a Kung Pao Chicken appetizer made by Chef Dale Talde, a former Top Chef contender and owner of Talde in Park Slope, that uses Chicken McNuggets sweet and sour sauce served in a bed of iceberg lettuce.